On Top of the World – Asheville, North Carolina Remains a Top Pick for Second Homes and Retirement

If you’ve ever driven the Blue Ridge Parkway, you know the feeling. Breathtaking vistas for miles around are picture-postcard perfect.  A temperate four-season climate, abundant recreation and extensive and diversified housing opportunities have been attracting visitors and new residents to the western North Carolina Mountain Region for decades. Strategically located less than a days’ drive of 70 of the nation’s top 100 metropolitan areas, the region is uniquely suited as a second/vacation home destination. A significant influx of retirees and pre-retirees has spawned a variety of ancillary services and amenities.  As part of the local campus of UNC, the Asheville-based North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement is today regarded as one of the nation’s top institutions for adult learning.

Nestled amongst majestic mountains, the eclectic city of Asheville has popped up on many national rankings over the years including AARP’s “Best Places to Reinvent Your Life,” and “The 50 Most Alive Places To Be.” American Style magazine recognized it as one of “America’s Top 25 Arts Destinations,” and it has also been cited as one of the happiest places in the U.S. in Eric Weiner’s 2008 book, The Geography of Bliss. Therefore, it was not surprising that it showed up on Barron’s 2009 rankings of the “Best Places for Second Homes.” Currently available luxury homes located in and around the Asheville market are priced from $600,000 to several million dollars for an average list price of $1.2 million.

Just a short drive from Asheville is Burnsville, the “Gateway to Mt. Mitchell,” the highest point east of the Rockies and home to The Preserve at Wolf Laurel.  The 1,300-acre master-planned community marks the final phase of the larger Wolf Laurel Resort development.  The community’s established environment and copious in-place amenities make for a distinct sense of community.  “Down home pleasures” are commonplace at The Preserve and have included the gathering of 700 residents for a 4^th of July celebration. This spirit of community lifestyle is showcased in the preservation and restoration of the The Buck House, the former homestead of original property owners David and Pearl Buck and their eight children.  Eighty-five percent of the 13-room Colonial Revival structure’s wood is original, and the property, which is operated as a B&B to accommodate potential property owners, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.